Albian Sands
Encyclopedia
Albian Sands Energy Inc. is the operator of the Muskeg River Mine, an oil sands mining project located 75 kilometres (46.6 mi) north of Fort McMurray, Alberta
, Canada. It is a joint venture between Shell Canada
(60%), Marathon Oil Canada
(20%) and Chevron Canada
(20%). The company's legal headquarters are located in the Shell Tower in Calgary
, Alberta. Albian Sands got its name from the Albian Boreal Sea which, during the Albian
stage of the Cretaceous
(over 100 million years ago), moved over the McMurray sands and deposited a blanket of marine shale on its floor which trapped the hydrocarbons of the McMurray Formation. The oil sands resources of the Muskeg River Mine are a legacy of the Albian Sea.
At full production, the Muskeg River Mine can produce 155000 oilbbl/d of crude bitumen, a naturally occurring semi-solid form of crude oil. The mine product, diluted bitumen or dilbit, is sent to be upgraded at the Scotford Upgrader
in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta
. The Muskeg River Mine stands on a Shell Canada lease containing more than 5 Goilbbl of mineable bitumen, of which it is expected to recover 1650 Moilbbl of bitumen over the next 30 years. The Muskeg River Mine and the Scotford Upgrader together comprise the Athabasca Oil Sands Project (AOSP).
A proposed future mine expansion would increase production to between 270000 barrels (42,926.6 m³) and 290000 oilbbl/d. The 100000 oilbbl/d (incremental) expansion project received regulatory approval in late 2006.
At the mine site, the 175 megawatt MRM Cogeneration
plant owned 70% by ATCO Power
and 30% by SaskPower
supplies process steam and electricity to the mine. 50% of the electricity produced is surplus to mine needs and is sold into the Alberta power grid. The Corridor Pipeline which transports diluted bitumen from the Muskeg River Mine to the Scotford Upgrader is owned by BC Gas. To accommodate its workforce, the project has built a 2460 room "village" with service and recreation facilities.
The project is using satellite based imaging to ensure transparent reporting of its land use.
Fort McMurray, Alberta
Fort McMurray is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It was previously incorporated as a city on September 1, 1980. It became an urban service area when it amalgamated with Improvement District No. 143 on April 1, 1995 to create the Municipality...
, Canada. It is a joint venture between Shell Canada
Shell Canada
Shell Canada Limited is the subsidiary of Dutch-based Royal Dutch Shell and one of Canada's largest integrated oil companies. Exploration and production of oil, natural gas and sulphur is a major part of its business, as well as the marketing of gasoline and related products through the company's...
(60%), Marathon Oil Canada
Marathon Oil
Marathon Oil Corporation is a United States-based oil and natural gas exploration and production company. Principal exploration activities are in the United States, Norway, Equatorial Guinea, Angola and Canada. Principal development activities are in the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway,...
(20%) and Chevron Canada
Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
(20%). The company's legal headquarters are located in the Shell Tower in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta. Albian Sands got its name from the Albian Boreal Sea which, during the Albian
Albian
The Albian is both an age of the geologic timescale and a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early/Lower Cretaceous epoch/series. Its approximate time range is 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 99.6 ± 0.9 Ma...
stage of the Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
(over 100 million years ago), moved over the McMurray sands and deposited a blanket of marine shale on its floor which trapped the hydrocarbons of the McMurray Formation. The oil sands resources of the Muskeg River Mine are a legacy of the Albian Sea.
At full production, the Muskeg River Mine can produce 155000 oilbbl/d of crude bitumen, a naturally occurring semi-solid form of crude oil. The mine product, diluted bitumen or dilbit, is sent to be upgraded at the Scotford Upgrader
Scotford Upgrader
The Shell Scotford Upgrader is an oilsand upgrader, a facility which processes crude bitumen from oil sands into a wide range of synthetic crude oils. The upgrader is owned by Athabasca Oil Sands Project , a joint venture of Shell Canada Energy , Marathon Oil Sands L.P. and Chevron Canada Limited...
in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta
Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta
Fort Saskatchewan is a city in Alberta, Canada, located northeast of downtown Edmonton, Alberta's capital city, along the North Saskatchewan River. Fort Saskatchewan is part of the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area and is one of 24 municipalities on the Capital Region Board...
. The Muskeg River Mine stands on a Shell Canada lease containing more than 5 Goilbbl of mineable bitumen, of which it is expected to recover 1650 Moilbbl of bitumen over the next 30 years. The Muskeg River Mine and the Scotford Upgrader together comprise the Athabasca Oil Sands Project (AOSP).
A proposed future mine expansion would increase production to between 270000 barrels (42,926.6 m³) and 290000 oilbbl/d. The 100000 oilbbl/d (incremental) expansion project received regulatory approval in late 2006.
At the mine site, the 175 megawatt MRM Cogeneration
Muskeg River Mine Cogeneration Station
Muskeg River Mine Cogeneration Station is a natural gas fired station owned by SaskPower and ATCO Power , located 75 km north of Fort McMurray and is part of the Albian Sands Project.- Description :...
plant owned 70% by ATCO Power
ATCO
ATCO Ltd. is an Alberta based corporation with more than 7,000 employees operating across three main business divisions: Power Generation; Utilities and Global Enterprises, with companies active in industrial manufacturing, technology, logistics and energy services.ATCO Ltd...
and 30% by SaskPower
SaskPower
Since 1929, SaskPower has been the principal supplier of electricity in Saskatchewan, Canada. Today, it serves more than 473,000 customers and manages $5.3 billion in assets...
supplies process steam and electricity to the mine. 50% of the electricity produced is surplus to mine needs and is sold into the Alberta power grid. The Corridor Pipeline which transports diluted bitumen from the Muskeg River Mine to the Scotford Upgrader is owned by BC Gas. To accommodate its workforce, the project has built a 2460 room "village" with service and recreation facilities.
The project is using satellite based imaging to ensure transparent reporting of its land use.